The United States has indicated it is willing to improve ties with Venezuela after the two countries expelled diplomats this month in a dispute over charges that a US naval attache was spying, a US diplomat said on Wednesday.

Though US-Venezuela relations were not at their best as the two countries were divided on some issues, Venezuela and the US have cooperated in fields such as energy, trade, as well as anti-drug and anti-terrorism efforts, US Ambassador to Venezuela William Brownfield told a local television channel.

The envoy hoped that through negotiation, the two countries could establish mature relations.

US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Tom Shannon, and Venezuela's ambassador in Washington, Bernardo Alvarez, met earlier for the possibility of establishing dialogue over the disputes between the two countries, said Brownfield.

The US and Venezuela have already shown that they can cooperate in effective ways, said Brownfield. He hoped the two countries could meet again to make new progress in bilateral efforts.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who took office in 1999, has clashed frequently with the Bush administration, which he accuses of trying to topple his government.

US-Venezuela relations hit a new low earlier this month after Venezuelan authorities accused a US naval attache at the embassy in Caracas of spying and expelled him from the country. Washington responded by sending home a Venezuelan diplomat.

(Xinhua News Agency February 16, 2006)